NUJ calls for the immortalization of Dele Giwa

The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, has called for the immortalization of Dele Giwa, founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine who was killed with a parcel bomb 27 years ago.

The NUJ made the call Saturday through its national vice president, Zone F, Seiyafa Uzaka, at a special meeting with the leadership of Edo State council of the union in Benin City.

According to Uzaka, journalists in Nigeria should consider themselves as military men, who need to “be gallant enough, tell the truth all the time and when you tell the truth and even die in the truth, lamenting, however, that “some of us even sell ourselves for one penny.”

“One man cannot do everything. A man can do his part and another will continue. It is unfortunate that that happened, and today we mark the death of hero in journalism, Dele Giwa He is a person I feel we should emulate. We were looking up to learn more things from him and the unfortunate thing happened.”

Also eulogizing Giwa, secretary of the zone, Edward Ogude, described him as a journalist per excellence.

“He was an epitome of investigative journalism and he paid with his life and that is to show that he was a journalist to the core, he paid with his life who had the interest of the nation at heart, he believed in Nigeria, he believed in the progress of this country, he believed in the fight against corruption, he believed in the fight for the freedom of the oppressed and that was he went to that extent that he unearthed,” he said.

“He brought out of issues that were hidden from the public, he wanted the people t know, to bring to the fore what was happening in the dark with a view t correcting the ills of the society but the military did not see it that way, they saw him as a threat and that was why he paid with his life”.

“Dele Giwa was a journalist to the core, a journalist that stood and lived out that name and that is why we must continue to do something unique every time he is being remembered either by the NUJ or the Guild f Editors, they must come together to d something to remember him,” Ogude said.

Dele Giwa was murdered on Sunday, 19 October, 1986 through a parcel bomb delivered to his house by yet to be identified men.